High school basketball games at districts in Chautauqua County, N.Y., had to be postponed in the wake of racially charged online posts directed at some Native American student-athletes.
School officials said they took immediate action and canceled multiple games to ensure everyone's safety.
According to WGRZ, the racially charged social media posts were brought to the attention of Silver Creek Schools superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston who proceeded with a formal notice to jointly postpone last Friday's scheduled JV and varsity basketball games with the Dunkirk City Schools teams. About 15 percent of the Silver Creek student population of 1,200 are from the Seneca Nation.
"We spoke with the superintendent and athletic director at Dunkirk and started moving forward with the proper investigation and steps we felt were necessary to take in the entire process just to ensure the overall safety of all our students and our community members," Ralston said.
WGRZ reported that it does not appear there was any direct threat to the district or players but district officials felt the decision was prudent.
Ralston said said the derogatory comments posted online were unacceptable and the district "can't allow that to happen."
